One post tagged with "Astro"

Astro is one of the most popular static site generators in 2026. It's fast, flexible, and has a huge ecosystem.

Pycora Pro takes a different approach: pure Python, zero client JS, zero build step.

Here's how they compare.

The Core Difference​

Build Speed​

Pycora is 4x faster on the same content.

Client JavaScript​

Astro ships ~15 KB of client JS by default (for hydration, view transitions, etc.).

Pycora Pro ships 0 KB. All interactivity is pure HTML/CSS or opt-in vanilla JS.

For sites that don't need client-side interactivity, this is a huge win for performance.

Dependencies​

Astro​

npm install
# ~500 packages in node_modules

Pycora Pro​

pip install jinja2 markdown pyyaml watchdog
# 4 packages

Astro has a build step. Pycora doesn't.

Templating​

Astro​

---
const posts = await getCollection('posts');
---
<html>
  <body>
    {posts.map(post => (
      <article>
        <h2>{post.data.title}</h2>
      </article>
    ))}
  </body>
</html>

Pycora Pro​

{% for post in collections.posts %}
<article>
  <h2>{{ post.title }}</h2>
</article>
{% endfor %}

Both are clean. Jinja2 is more familiar to Python developers.

Content Format​

Astro — Content Collections​

src/content/posts/
├── post-01.md
└── post-02.md

Pycora Pro​

content/posts/
├── post-01.md
└── post-02.md

Same idea. Both use Markdown + frontmatter.

Deployment​

Both deploy anywhere. Both are static.

Pycora advantage: no Node.js on the build server. Python is already there.

When to Use Astro​

• You need React/Vue/Svelte components
• You want view transitions
• You need a rich ecosystem of integrations
• Your team knows JavaScript

When to Use Pycora Pro​

• You prefer Python
• You want zero client JS
• You want faster builds
• You want zero npm dependencies
• You want a built-in CMS

Can You Use Both?​

Yes. Astro has a Python integration via @astrojs/python. But you're still running Node.

Pycora Pro is Python all the way.

The Verdict​

Get Pycora Pro​

Pycora Pro is $145, one payment, own forever.

Get Pycora Pro on Gumroad →